IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 77 



best, has a very characteristic form, and at first sight, one might not 

 look on it as belonging to a species of the lepidoptera. Its flattened 

 form, its drawn-in narrow neck, and its distinctly marked (square-cut) 

 segments, give it a very strange appearance " (I.e.). The characters 

 indicated by Guenee as existing in the imago state, have been found to 

 be coupled with similar differences in the early stages, so that the 

 species are now generally subdivided and distributed over the three 

 genera Herminia, Zandognatlia and Pecliipogon. 



Herminia, Latr., cribrumalis (cribralis), Hb. 



This white marsh-frequenting species cannot possibly be mistaken 

 for any other. Hiibner figured and described it under two names 

 cribrumalis and cribratis. His fig. 2 in the * Saniinlung europ. Schmet.' 

 (Py rales) is remarkably well done. The description I made of it is as 

 follows : " Anterior wings whitish-grey, with a slight pinkish tinge ; 

 a dot in the place of the reniforui ; a row of tiny black dots in the 

 place of the^elbowed line ; and another row of similar dots in place 

 of the subterininal. The hind wings whitish-grey, with the outer 

 margin slightly darker and a small dark lunular spot." In my speci- 

 mens of this species the variation is very slight, and chiefly in the 

 direction of the quantity of the black markings and dots. In some 

 specimens, the elbowed line is formed of black dashes, in others of 

 dots, and occasionally it is almost obsolete. The orbicular stigma is 

 also somewhat variable and differs considerably both in intensity and 

 size. Guenee writes of this species : " This species and the group 

 (Macrobila, St.) which it comprises, is characterised by (1) the palpi, 

 which are almost like those of barbalis ; (2) the antennae, which have 

 only a slight swelling scarcely noticeable as far as the eighth joint, 

 but which closely resemble in construction those of crinalis, but 

 are still more slender; (3) the anterior feet, which are ex- 

 tremely long, although very slender, and furnished with fan -like tufts 

 of scales, but without lateral brushes ; (4) and lastly, by the wings which 

 are more slender than the other Herminice, without a distinct elbowed 

 line, and with the markings only faintly expressed " (' Histoire 

 uaturelle ' etc. (Deltoides), vol. viii., p. 62). 



Herminia, Latr., derivalis, Hb. 



This species shows very considerable variation in the shading of 

 the ground colour and in the intensity of the markings, and also 

 striking differences in the shape of the angulated line which is some- 

 times sharply angulated, at others, regularly and slightly curved, 

 whilst it is frequently elbowed with a distinct curve. The basal line 

 varies also, sometimes it is sharply angulated, at others, straight, 

 whilst it is often regularly curved. These lines, too, are frequently, 

 as mentioned by Guenee and figured by Hiibner, shaded interiorly 

 with fuscous, this form being the type. The central line on the hind 

 wings also varies much, and is in my own series, in different speci- 

 mens, either curved, angulated or straight, whilst it is frequently 

 considerably shaded interiorly with fuscous. Guenee writes of this 

 species : " It varies much in the shade of the ground colour which 

 passes from yellowish-red to an almost testaceous-grey, but it is always 

 of a shade more or less ochreous. I have seen specimens entirely 



